Fire And Ice (The Elemental Order - Book 1)

Chapter Five.

I sat up in my bed, having been woken abruptly by something. I couldn't pinpoint exactly what had woken me, but I had a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach, making me feel sick.

I pushed the covers aside and climbed out of bed, shivering when my bare feet touched the cold wooden floor. Water was my element, which my mother told me meant I was resistant to the cold, but I hadn't grown into my powers yet, so I still felt the cold for now.

I slipped my fluffy slippers on and wrapped my dressing gown around me before leaving  my room. The feeling of dread grew as I walked along the dark hallway and down the stairs. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, the first thing that I saw was that the front door was wide open, letting in ice cold rain and bitter wind from the storm outside.

I shivered, pulling my dressing gown tighter around me as a frown marred my face. There was no sign of my parents in the hallway and I couldn't fathom why they would have left the door open. My mother hated it when I went outside and left the door open for any amount of time so I knew that she would never leave it open unless there was something very wrong.

I turned and walked down the hallway, towards the living room, trying to figure out what was going on. When I reached the opening to the living room, I noticed that furniture was scattered around the floor, papers and books scattered everywhere, as if someone had been trying to find something in a hurry.

I knew something was very wrong and I felt a desperate pull of emotion to find my parents and make sure that they were okay. My heart beat hard against my chest, the feeling in my stomach growing stronger as I crossed the living room to the door that led into the family room, which was standing open.

When I reached the door, I saw my mother sitting on the ground against the wall, her arms and legs bound with rope. Her eyes were red as if she'd been crying and there was a trail of blood down the side of her face, originating at her temple.

My heart stuttered with concern and fear, my first thought that I needed to help her, but my instincts told me to stay where I was and find out what was going on first.

I surveyed the rest of the room and noticed my father tied to a wooden chair a few feet away from my mother. His head was hanging down against his chest, his eyes closed, blood covering his face and his clothes. I swallowed the urge to scream, somehow knowing that I had to keep quiet. I didn't know if the person who did this was still in the house. I didn't want to alert them to my presence if they were still here.

I was contemplating what to do when my mother looked towards the door and noticed me standing there. Her eyes widened with fear as she shook her head, as if telling me to get out of here.

"Frost, go upstairs and hide. Don't come out until me or your father come and get you. Be as quiet as you can." She said quietly, obviously trying not to alert the person that had done this to my presence.

I wanted to shake my head and tell her that I wasn't going anywhere until her and my dad were safe, but I could see from the fear in her eyes that she was terrified that I'd get hurt or worse.

I was just about to turn and make my way back upstairs when the door at the opposite side of the room opened. A man strode into the room and sat down on the edge of one of the armchairs. He had hair the colour of fire, his eyes a strange mix of amber and brown, making him look like a lion or a jaguar.

I had to swallow another scream, biting my bottom lip hard when I noticed that he had a knife in his hand, which he was twirling through his fingers like it was a children's toy.

"Ready to talk, Isabelle?" The man asked, his voice full of sickly charm.

My mother kept her gaze fixed on the man, obviously trying not to draw attention to me. I felt a pulse of admiration for her when she set her shoulders and held her head high, defiance shining in her expression. My mother was the strongest woman I knew and it made me so proud to see her standing up for herself, despite the circumstances. I hoped that I could be as strong as her someday.